Cars For Sale Craigslist California (2024)

FAQs

What is the best month to buy a used car? ›

What's the best time to buy a used car? Used and new cars follow similar cycles. If you're shopping for a used car, the early months of the year — January and February — are a good time to ship. You may see more vehicles on the market then as people sell their old vehicles after buying new ones over the holidays.

Brand Market Share and Summary

Brand registrations increased in 2023 for 26 of the top 30 selling brands in the state, with Toyota remaining California's market share leader, holding 15.7 percent. Tesla follows at 13 percent, Honda holds 9.7 percent, Ford at 7.7 percent, and Chevrolet at 6.7 percent.

There's no rule to how many miles on a used car is too much, but by attempting to stick to the 12,000 miles per year rule is a great place to start. Find out how old the car is, multiple the number of years by 12,000, and if the number on the odometer is significantly higher than that, some concern might be warranted.

One reason is that the company wants to make money from its website. Another reason is that it wants to reduce the number of spam posts on the site. By charging for each post, Craigslist can ensure that only legitimate ads are posted.

It's proven that car buyers on Craigslist tend to convert much quicker than on any other classifieds. The conversion rate on Craigslist can be as high as 10%, and that's huge. On the other hand, when you list your cars on Craigslist, you're not just advertising the cars but also your dealership.

To gift someone a vehicle, you must transfer the vehicle title to their name and create a bill of sale. Selling a vehicle for $1 instead of gifting it could result in your recipient paying sales tax based on the car's fair market value — it's better to stick with the official gifting process.

How do I protect myself when selling a car in California? ›

Having said that, there is no strict law regarding the number of cars you can sell as a private seller before being considered as operating as a dealership. The general rule has been if you sell 5 or more cars per year as a private seller, the DMV wants you to have a dealer license.

In 2023, Ford remained the leading car brand in the United States based on vehicle sales, delivering about 1.9 million units to U.S. customers. The United States is the largest market for Ford: wholesales to U.S. dealerships reached over two million vehicles in 2022.

If you live in California and want a great deal on a car, choosing a used model is going to be your best option. Data shows that the average cost of a used vehicle nationwide is about the same as the average price in California.

The cheapest time to buy a car is in December, but you can also get good deals in September. This is around the time the next model year's cars usually start to arrive. Take advantage of Labor Day weekend sales for discounts, rebates and other incentives.

With limited space on the forecourt, used car dealers often take a lower price to clear some real estate. Thus, August and February can be the best time to buy a second-hand car. For more advice and tips on when the best time is to buy a car visit our Car Buying Tips section of our website.

January Comes After December

This is the top reason why January is the slowest month for car sales. It's not about the cold weather, but it all has something to do with the month before that – December. The last month of the year is the busiest, with the holiday season and many people go shopping.

2. End of the Quarter. And then there's another period you could use to your advantage: the end of the quarter. Buying a car at the end of March, June, September, or December often leads to even better deals than buying at the end of the month, as dealerships are trying even harder to reach sales goals.